Tuesday, September 18, 2012

I know many of my readers likely are already brown bagging their daily lunches, but for those of you who aren't, those of you who think your cafeteria serves "pretty healthy" meals, or who lean on various fast food options, simply bringing your own lunch can go a long way at helping to manage your weights.

I also have what I call a "go-to easy lunch" which is the lunch I can assemble in less than 30 seconds if I forgot to put one together the night before. It consists of two slices of whole grain bread, 30-45g of cheese, a tomato, an apple and an orange. It's far from gourmet, but it does the job.

I have a very simple rule about lunches out. I'll only have them if someone else buys.

If you're frustrated by your scale's lack of movement, and yet you're buying your lunch regularly, why not see if a one month promise to yourself to brown bag it doesn't get that dial moving again? Worst case? You'll save yourself a pile of money and give yourself the opportunity to eat far healthier fare.

11 comments:

My fiance refuses to take a lunch because he likes to escape at lunch time. I've convinced him to go to the grocery store and get a big pre-made salad with egg or chicken. My quick "nothing here to eat or have no time to make anything" lunch is cheese, triscuit crackers, yogurt, nuts and what ever fruit there is. If I don't get vegetables in at lunch, I aim for a vegetable based dinner!

Besides the cost savings, what I like about bringing my own lunch is that - even if it's high in calories - I know exactly what's in it! It's tough to know what's in the food that other people prepare.

I throw a few handfuls of spinach into a container, grab a can of low-sodium tuna, a small avocado (I eat 1/4 of it at a time) and a hard-boiled egg, and I have a delicious salad to go. (There's usually someone at my office with some oil and vinegar I can borrow to top it off with.)

I bring leftovers for lunch and fruit and nuts with tea I brew at home for breakfast. sometimes a Larabar if I am in a hurry.

In the cooler months, each week I make a big pot of vegetable based soup or a veggie chilli and portion it out in 2 cup pyrex bowls.

In the summer months, I make a big portion of bean and vegetable salad.

My scale rarely moves...been trying to lose 20 vanity pounds for 3 years. It's defiantly healthier and cheaper to bring my own food. Eating out where I work is about $10 usd a day for lunch, $5-7 more for breakfast.

I made that one month challenge to myself in June and it worked! Major cost savings and movement on the scale in the right direction! I always keep cans of tuna and chickpeas on hand so that I have those quick go-to options. I'm planning to take the challenge again in October.

I have a 5 minute rule. I force myself, no matter how tired I am in the late evenings, to spend 5 minutes throwing together a lunch. It's never failed me as long as I always think one step ahead. When making supper, throw on some extra protein. Chpping up a plate of raw veggies for supper? Make sure there's enough for lunch the next day. Doing some baking? Individually wrap up singe servings of muffins, cookies etc. to keep in the freezer. Very easy to grab a little sweet for your work day. Another bonus of home packed lunches? I can eat little bits throughout the day and save my actual lunchtime for what keeps me sane - running!

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Family doc, Assistant Prof. at the University of Ottawa, Author of The Diet Fix, and founder of Ottawa's non-surgical Bariatric Medical Institute - a multi-disciplinary, ethical, evidence-based nutrition and weight management centre. Nowadays I'm more likely to stop drugs than start them. You can also follow me on Twitter and Facebook.

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